20020724

Chinese scientists have unearthed a fossil of a previously unknown avian \\\\\\\"dinosaur\\\\\\\" with the ability to fly, the fossil provides new evidence that suggests birds evolved from dinosaurs. The specimen baptist Shenzhouraptor sinensis: \\\\\\\"Shenzhou\\\\\\\" means China and \\\\\\\"raptor\\\\\\\" and \\\\\\\"sinensis\\\\\\\" are Latin words meaning \\\\\\\"grabber\\\\\\\" and \\\\\\\"China\\\\\\\" respectively.

Shenzhouraptor was discovered in the Yixian County of Jinzhou, Northeast China\\\\\\\'s Liaoning Province and is dated Early Cretaceous. Shenzhouraptor has no teeth and its fore-limbs are longer than the hind-limbs. It has a U-shaped wishbone and the length of its flying feathers are longer than the total length of its ulna and manus.

There was little doubt the species was capable of flight, representing a missing link between theropod dinosaurs and birds. According to Ji Qiang, a professor with the Institute of Geology of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences,the specimen cannot be defined as \\\\\\\'dinosaur\\\\\\\' but as an avialae bird, or primeval bird with both the features of a dinosaur and a bird\\\\\\\".

The scientists\\\\\\\' research findings were published in this month\\\\\\\'s issue of the Geological Bulletin of China and its English version is expected to be published in the scientific journal Nature.

• < Prev
• Next >